


Barking Dogs (My Hero)

by RosesUniverse



Category: avengers MCU
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 05:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14948514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosesUniverse/pseuds/RosesUniverse
Summary: Who knew a barking dog could bring two neighbors together.





	Barking Dogs (My Hero)

**Author's Note:**

> Just some Captain America fluff I wrote a year ago based on a drawing I saw.

Most days dogs didn't bother Steve. The Super Soldier serum had gotten rid of the loathsome allergy he’d had to them in his youth and most that he encountered were friendly. 

Most. 

Her dog was not part of the “most”. No, her dog seemed to go out of its way to harass him on a daily basis. Like clockwork, at 7 am every morning, he could count on that dog being in the front yard of the little brownstone with the corner yard at the end of the block, barking and bouncing up to see over the fence. He would hear it start to bark at him once he got within 100 feet, within 30 it would turn to a low growl. The dog would follow him around the low fence, barking and growling all the way and never taking its eyes off him, but wouldn't ever make a move to jump or attack him. 

Her dog wasn't particularly big, it was taller than it was heavy; some kind of greyhound mix. So it wasn't really intimidating physically, but something in the way that it watched him made Steve uncomfortable. 

Normally the fence was enough to keep the dog in and it didn't seem to show much inclination towards escaping or jumping over, no matter how agitated it got. Which was why it was so strange that the dog wasn't in the yard that morning when he jogged past. The silence was almost eerie as he got closer, unnerving him when no sound at all arose. Peering at the driveway, he noted the little light blue Prius was still there, she was still home.

Steve didn't actually know her, he'd only seen her once or twice in passing; once when she was coming home with groceries and he’d offered to help carry them in, but it hadn't seemed she’d heard him. Then another time when he passed in the evening and could hear music coming from an open window; she’d been painting to something with a heavy bass, though he couldn't identify the song or what was on her canvas. 

Beyond those times, Steve hadn't given her much thought, nor had she paid much attention to her tall blonde neighbor that lived at the other end of the block. 

Iris tended to keep to herself. Being deaf meant it was hard to communicate with people most days and unless she had her hearing aids, she could pretty much only hear low frequency sounds. 

Huey was her hearing dog. He was her ears to the outside world. He was also her best friend. That's why she was utterly devastated when he disappeared one morning after she’d let him out. 

Iris had gone inside to finish getting ready for work, just like she always did, but when she returned 20 minutes later, her front gate was open and Huey was gone. 

She almost cried, and most certainly had a panic attack. 

The rest of Iris’ day was a blurry haze of getting the word out that her dog was missing, creating flyers and posters, and checking her bank account to see if she had enough to offer a reward for his return. 

The only memorable part of her day, beyond her sheer terror, was practically running into the brick wall that was her neighbor. 

Iris had been posting flyers around town for the last hour, and just as she was posting up the last of her flyers, a good old New York City breeze blew in and spilled the last of them.

Ever the gentleman, Steve stopped to help, gathering the papers that blew towards him as he made his way home. It was the first time he’d gotten a good look at his neighbor. 

She was pretty, thick black hair in a curly Afro that almost drowned her head, her petite face peeking through the curls. Her eyes were a warm shade of brown that reminded him of hot chocolate. Her skin was like honey glazed cocoa, smooth, brown and clear of blemishes. 

Beyond her outward beauty, her stress radiated off her, clear as day. 

“Please have you seen my dog?” Her words had a bit of a lisp, her pink hearing aids hidden in the depths of her curls making his response audible though he wondered at her strange accent. 

“I'm sorry I haven't. I'll keep a look out for him” and he would. He didn't care for the dog, but it clearly meant a lot to her. 

Iris smiled in strained gratitude before taking back all but one of the flyers and heading back into her home. She’d be stuck using the hearing aids until Huey was found. 

A few weeks went by and still Huey was missing. Iris was miserable without her best friend. Her only consolation was the odd, but nice, friendship she’d developed with her neighbor. It took her a little while to realize he was THE Steve Rogers, as in THE Captain America, one of her childhood heros. They'd become friends as he asked about her dog every morning as he passed by. It hadn't taken him long to realize why she was so desperate to find her dog, and in the meantime, he worked on learning ASL to communicate a bit easier. 

They got to know each other over those few weeks, becoming a little more than acquaintances, a little less than friends. 

It was one mid afternoon though that their relationship grew a little closer. Steve was returning from the Avenger’s Tower when he heard a familiar barking. A block over that barking grew louder, plaintive now instead of intimidating. Steve followed it until he found a roughed up version of a very familiar dog. 

Huey was backed into the corner of an alley, hiding behind a few boxes to try and ward off the children that had him cornered. Steve cleared his throat to get their attention and managed to shoo them away after a few minutes. Once they were gone he moved closer to the dog cautiously, kneeling beside the boxes. 

“Hey Huey…. I know you don't really care for me but it's okay… I'm not here to hurt you. I want to take you back to Iris….” 

Huey’s ears pricked forward at hearing his owner’s name and hesitantly crept forward. Despite the dog’s hesitant movement forward he still growled at Steve, expressing a bit of distrust, but he was desperate for help. Once he was out far enough, Steve carefully picked the dog up and Huey practically slumped into his arms. The dog’s demeanor was completely different from every other time Steve had been near, being out on the streets had clearly been an ordeal.

Steve carried Huey the few blocks over to their street and up to Iris’s front door. Placing the dog down in the familiar yard, he sent a quick text to Iris. 

“Come to your door.” 

The text was a bit bizarre to receive from Steve, but she heeded his words and came to the door, opening it with a curious look before she was bombarded by a blur of brown fur. 

Iris was overjoyed. Absolutely ecstatic that her beloved Huey had been found. After a tearful reunion and plenty of hugs, Iris rushed Steve and enveloped him in a tight hug. 

It caught him a bit off guard, but he returned the hug nonetheless, breathing in the sweet scent of her coconut oil infused hair. He’d always wondered if it was as soft as it looked, and pressed against his cheek, he could tell that it was. 

After that, Steve didn't stick around long but he was glad to see the two reunited. 

A few days later Steve was back at his usual routine. It was a bit of a relief to hear the barking coming from her yard as he approached. Iris had texted him the day prior with an update that Huey had to go to the vet and stay for two nights before he could come home, but that he would be fine. 

Steve slowed his jog until he was walking then stopped at the fence, peering over to look down at Huey. For a second the dog looked like he might growl, but then his tail wagged and he jumped up against the fence to try and greet the tall blonde. 

“I'm glad to see you two have become friends.” Iris’ voice carried over to him from her open window. She was leaning out of it watching the two interact with a smile on her face and her cloud of hair pulled back from her face, a rare sight for sure. 

Steve couldn't help the small smile on his face as he walked over to stand in front of her, blue eyes meeting brown. He watched as the slightest hint of a blush came to her face and his smile widened. 

“We have an understanding now it seems. I think it helps we have a mutual appreciation for you.” 

Iris’ eyes widened and the blush that was barely there darkened. For a split second she wished her hair was down to hide behind but Steve was grateful. He liked seeing her expressions. She was in for another surprise too. 

Steve raised his hands and began to sign, “I'd like to get to know you better.” 

Iris was delighted to see his use of ASL. 

“I enjoyed our talks the last few weeks and wanted to continue that on a date if you're willing?” He reverted back to using his words as he hadn’t learned enough sign language yet. 

Iris grinned and nodded, signing back “I'd love to!” They set the date, then she watched as her hero continued on his morning run out of sight. 

Who knew a barking dog could bring two neighbors together.


End file.
